Terrific Turtles; PerTURbed TURtles - Relative Rest - Reluctant Runny Nosed Runners (Part 1)

She walks straight in with her shoes on!

Our Campsite

Which Family Pic Do You Guys Like Best?!

Family Pic (A)

Family Pic (B)

Family Pic (C)

To get to the campsite, it was easiest to canoe in the heavy stuff rather than pack it in. The Archer hopes hard the transport operation will be uneventful!

Romance, Action, Adventure, Suspense! Our camping trip weekend packed it all in with a wallop! Okay, so maybe not the movie or novel kind, but enough for a blog post anyway ;-)

UNKNOWNS...... There were a lot of unknowns to begin with. Namely, it was unknown when we would go and dependant on weather. Then there was to be an extended "pre-men's turkey hunting trip", which fell through because the men were needed to don fire fighter gear instead. Finally it was unknown if we would all go because I'd been engaged in fierce combat with a sore throat and fever all week. In the end, our overloaded Suburban pulled out down the road Thursday morning on a detour trip to the dentist. Armed with several more toothbrushes and some stickers, after 3 kids had gotten teeth cleanings and check ups we were on our way to the destination at hand, "Terrifical Turtley Toodles Lake".

My Sister, Heather, bought us some pizza, though she didn't know it. Thanks Heather! Heather would also later buy us McDonald's on the way home and fixings for Root beer floats. She had given us some money a long time ago which I had been diligently carrying around waiting for just the right occasion. The occasion presented himself handsomely.

We arrived at our destination, a boat landing around 3pm. We decided rather than camp around there, we'd be brave and float our belongings to the nice private area pictured above. To get there, you must hike in or pay the forest service for access to a gated road. It was a little inconvenient, but also ensured our own camping privacy. In then end, the extra work was well worth it, because it was such a beautiful, yet secluded spot.

I began the trip by taking a long needed nap on the pavilion, as did SFE and Dad. After that, I didn't get much further than the dock. The lazy, warm breeze and inviting waters encouraged me to just relax out there. Super Catman was as smug as an ally Tom dining in a Red Lobster Dumpster to be fishing and playing with his remote controlled boat. As you can see, Moonbeam had fun too. After running up and down the dock a zillion times chattering happily, she decided to check out the water. She walked right in! No hesitation, no "ah, i want to rethink this", nothing. She just ups and walks right in! Then she looks at me to see how I react.

The boys caught bass, pumpkin seed sunnies, and perch. I even caught one thanks to Art Dog's worm generosity. The Archer also thought to liberate some baby Osprey or maybe they were Herons from circling ravens. SFE took to the wooded area for "the perfect marshmallow sticks". Archer and Super Catman built a blazing fire. Again, I mostly lounged around.

That evening we roasted the traditional hot dogs and marshmallows. I also brought myself a delightful feta and spinach salad which received some undeserved heckles. Later it's existence was partially redeemed when the container was used "for bait". After dark, scads of tiny field mice hopped about greedily looking for morsels. The younger "men" felt it necessary to take some affirmative action. My husband read us Patrick McMannus stories around the campfire. Moonbeam fell asleep. I secretly wondered how safe it would be to sleep as I eyed the pavilion suspiciously. Would I experience a rude awakening by an army of feisty field mice? What other opportunists prowled about the valley forest? As calm blackness enveloped us, it occurred to me I should have gotten ready for bed sooner. I tripped in a hole and slightly re injured my hurt ankle... again. Reluctantly I found my pj's and began making my way toward the tree line. I heard something moving. I stopped, shining my flashlight around the trees warily. Goosebumps began to form on my arms. I wondered if I really had to go to the bathroom that bad. Maybe I should just sleep in my jeans. I took another step. Something was definitely out there. I could feel it.

Blog in again for the exciting conclusion..............................